Overview
- The All Assam 108 Mrityunjoy Employee Association has kept ambulance crews on an indefinite strike since Dec. 1, saying services will stay suspended until the government agrees to formal talks.
- Workers seek government takeover of the service, regularisation of nearly 3,000 jobs, salary revision to highly skilled levels, full overtime pay for 12-hour shifts, annual bonuses and access to welfare schemes.
- EMRI says it maintained the call centre, ran about 70 ambulances on day one and more than 150 by midday on day two using temporary staff, and expected to reach around 300 later that day.
- The operator calls the agitation illegal, says it already implements minimum wages and offered a pay revision the union rejected, and warns it may hire replacements to keep services running.
- Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says the government will consider discussions only after the protest stops and rebukes the workers for skipping health camps.